In general, mouthguards are used to protect an athlete's teeth while engaged in a sporting activity. Several prior art mouthguards include a V-shaped base member with inner and outer flanges that extend upwardly to surround the wearer's upper and/or lower teeth. Such mouthguards cushion the impact of the upper and/or lower teeth and protect the teeth in response to jarring action or impact.
One typical type of mouthguard is a dental tray which is generally pre-formed to mimic the shaped of a person's mandibular/maxillary arch configurations. Several prior art mouthguards are made from ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), which is a softenable thermoplastic. EVA's softening point is less than the temperature of boiling water. Therefore, such a mouthguard may be formed, or custom fit, to the wearer's mouth by placing the mouthguard in hot water until it becomes soft, and then placing it in the wearer's mouth. Such a mouthguard retains the shape of the wearer's teeth and mouth upon cooling. These traditional mouthguards can provide excellent protection, but often times are ill-fitting and uncomfortable.
Conventional mouthguards may be fabricated from a variety of thermoplastic materials, and are typically molded into a shape that is similar to one or both of the mandibular or maxillary arches. For the purposes of this application, such conventional mouthguard configuration is referred to as “tray-style” mouthguards. Traditional tray style mouthguards do not possess the ability to comfortably adjust to widely varying tooth shape or mandibular/maxillary arch configurations and can be ill-fitting and uncomfortable. Individuals with wide upper or lower jaws often have difficulty finding mouthguards that fit without modifying the structure of the mouthguard.
A traditional mouthguard for individuals with braces is simply placed in the wearer's mouth. Currently marketed mouthguards for braces or other dental appliances are composed of medical grade silicone, or other high temperature materials that cannot be heated or boiled for fitting around the teeth and gums. Because such traditional mouthguards cannot be fitted, they tend to move around in the mouth, making it difficult to breathe and speak, and they fail to provide adequate protection, depending at least in part upon the position at the time of impact. However, if EVA or a similar low temperature melting plastic were used, for example, the softer plastic could easily become entangled with the braces and cause damage or inconvenience such as shifting or pulling wires. Because every mouth has a different shape, a non-fitted mouthguard is inadequate for a great number of wearers. in addition, impact absorption increases with improved fit.
Traditional tray-style mouthguards also inhibit the wearer's ability to communicate while the device is within the mouth. Thus, many traditional mouthguards are frequently removed to allow the athlete to better communicate and is either carried in the person's hand, pressed into a portion of the helmet, or left dangle from a strap attachment fastening the mouthguard to a sports helmet. The device is then reinserted into the mouth after communications are completed and prior to the next play.
Traditional pre-formed tray-style mouthguards require packaging that is bulky and inefficient for shipping and storage. The generally U-shaped mouthguards are ill suited for tight efficient packing for shipping, storage, or merchandise display. There is a significant need for an improved mouthguard which enables a user to breathe through his/her mouth while wearing the mouthguard.
Therefore, there remains a need for new mouthguard configurations that accommodate a wide variety of mandibular/maxillary arch and tooth configurations, reduce the necessity to remove the mouthguard in an effort to communicate, allow the wearer to breathe more naturally through their mouth while the mouthguard is gripped between their teeth, and are suited for efficient shipping, storage, and merchandise display.